September 24, 2014

September 22, 2014

Okay, so today I am writing because for a Zone activity tomorrow we are going to the Zoo!!!!! WHOOHOO!!!! I wanted to go to the Temple, but we voted and it was 10 to 8 and the Zoo won!! Oh well, next time!!! I am going EVERY WEEK to the temple when I get back, don’t you worry!!!! But yeah, we had to change our Pday because like the temple, the zoo is not open Mondays. But I didn’t know until yesterday about that, so sorry I didn’t warn y’all!!! I promise I LOVE Y’ALL and LOVE to hear from y’all!!!!!!

So this week WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!! Where do I begin, I have SO MANY things written down that I want to tell you!!!!! So, the change is coming to a close. Everyone is telling me I am going to train next change. I sure hope not!!!! If the assistants call tomorrow night, I am NOT answering the phone!!!! I am REALLY HAPPY here with Hna. Graham and I want to keep working with her for the next change!!!! We have established/planted some good seeds/work here and we are seeing the flower heads popping up and some have already opened!!!!!! WHOOHOO!!! We had a week of miracles!!!!!!!

To start, I mentioned last week how we are now focusing more on baptizing

EACH and EVERY week!!! Well, because we put goals of baptisms every week. We just need to put our Fe in The Lord to complete them!!!! We have not baptized all this change, or this month. So, we are trying to really focus on the people that could be baptized this month, and out of the blue, Heavenly Father gives us the best present EVER!!!!! There is a man in our ward named Javier. He attends church EVERY WEEK, he reads the Book of Mormon and knows without a doubt it is true!!! And he has the STRONGEST TESTIMONY of Joseph Smith, and he is not baptized. Why not? You might ask. Well, he and his wife are not married and couldn’t be because he is from Nicaragua and there is all this really expensive paper work that needs to happen and a bunch of legal stuff so that they can be married.

Well, last Sunday I shook his hand and asked, “Hermano, cuando va a

bautizar, entonces?” (So, when are you going to be baptized?) And he answered, “Actually this member who is a lawyer can help us to get married and we are going to be married on the 10 of October!!!” My companion started jumping UP and DOWN!!!! (Yeah, it’s true. I really LOVE her ALOT!!!!) But then she was like, look now I am going to have changes and won’t be here for the wedding!!! Well, two days later, we were teaching them and they informed us that actually they are going to be able to get married and he can be baptized on the 27th of Sep!!!!! MIRACLE!!!!!! This family is SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!! And they are SO ready to become an Eternal family!!!! His wife, Brenda is already a member. She was born into the church and their two oldest kids have already been baptized!!!!! It seriously is SO

AMAZING!!!!! We are going to have a baptism and WEDDING this weekend!!!! I am SO EXCITED!!!!!! Heavenly Father LOVES me SO MUCH, I am SO GRATEFUL!!!!

The first Missionaries taught him over ten years ago and he still remembers their names, where they are from and everything!!!! We have been telling all the missionaries who served in this area that he is finally being baptized. And EVERYONE!!! The whole Mission is EXCITED!!!!!!! It is a PURE MIRACLE!!!!!! Please pray hard for him that the attacks of Satan won’t be to any avail!!!!! I know God is more powerful, but He works by our Fe!!!!!!!

I LOVE Y’ALL SO MUCH. I am SO THANKFUL for your prayers!!!!! I know your Fe helps to bring about this Blessing and Miracle!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! LOVE

YALL!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO THANKFUL and LOVE our Heavenly Father SOOOOOOOO MUCH. He does the nicest things for us EVERYDAY!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so I promised the story of Blanca!!!! We found her the last week of August. We were teaching one of her neighbors who I had contacted on the bus and we were helping carry her grocery bags to her house when she knocked on the door and her neighbor invited her in. Her neighbor as of right now didn’t end up progressing, but we will see. We actually just contacted her again on the street this morning with her husband, but anyway. Blanca is a single mom of two daughters, 6 and 4!!! They are the CUTEST!!! Oh and they all speak English!!! We have been teaching her in Spanglish!!! Haha!!! Blanca was an orphan raised in a kids’ home of about 80 kids, but her "mom" who took care of her there was a missionary of an evangelico church from California. So, she grew up speaking English. When we first started teaching her, she mentioned it to her "mom" and "dad" who are Pastors now and they told her not to listen to us, but she felt good and wants to keep learning more!!!!

She has stopped smoking and drinking cafe and has read in the Book of

Mormon!!! She has prayed about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and just wants to know more!!! We told her that desire comes from the Spirit and that is part of her answer!!! We finally got her to church yesterday and the ward activity the night before!!!!! The members were AMAZING making friends with her!!!! Especially the Bishops wife!!!! Please pray for her too!!!! We are preparing her to be baptized on the 5th of October!!! Please pray that she can be prepared by that date!!!

We also need strong prayers for another hermanita, Natali. She is 12. Her mom is a menos active and she really wants to be baptized but we need the permission from her Mom. Her step dad is evangelico and grew up learning the church was evil, but by prayers of Fe and help from his wife, he is coming around!!! She just told us that he of his own accord is reading in the Book of Mormon!!! Every day at work!!!! He is somewhere in Nefi!!! We have never been able to teach him, but pray that we will be able to!!!! We have a Family Home Evening tonight with Natali, her mom and her little sister Angi. (Angi is 8 so she can baptized too!!) in the Bishops house, but Elder, the dad, won’t be there because he will be working late. So pray we’ll be able to find him!!! THANK YOU!!!

I don’t have time to explain the other stories, about Mirna and her 12 year old daughter and her 12 year old nephew, but please pray for them. We are preparing them for the 12th of October!!! And also Mirna and her 8 year old son!!!!

THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE

YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE,

Hna Sherrod